US Capital in NYC rather than DC

1. Probably no British invasion of the capital in the War of 1812.
2. NYC draft riots during the Civil War may have greater political impact.
3. Possibly different Southern strategy in Civil War - no real prospect for occupying the capital.
4. No compromise in the Constitution so maybe no requirement to stop importing slaves.
 
There are two big problems with New York as the capital is that the city is not centrally located (thus potentially pissing off the Southerners) and with the exception of the Bronx the city is set on islands (meaning that should America ever get into another war with Britain it would be relatively easy for the British to decapitate America's leadership) to fix this you need an America that doesn't need to balance the North and the South in the same way and doesn't fear Britain.

My best guess to fix this is that the Quebec Expedition goes better for the Americans, just like in our world Franklin, Adams and Rutledge go to meet with Lord Howe for the Staten Island Conference. Given the Americans are in a relative position of strength going into the negotiations and Lord Howe is forced to offer more, enough that a deal is struck. As the new nation looks for a capital it needs one that offers relatively easy access to all current members, this along with its historic value as the place where the war ended makes Staten Island ultimately win out.
 

Skallagrim

Banned
The way to get this is to avoid the Compromise of 1790. This solves the big political problem raised by @SeaBos, since if no compromise had been raised, the capital probably would have ended up in New York. This is what I assume the fourth point mentioned by the OP refers to. However, the compromise wasn't about the slave trade. It was about the assumption of state debts by the federal government.

The background was: various states, primarily in the South and most famously Virginia, had paid off all or most of their war-time debts. Other states, primarily in the North, had not paid off their debts. Surprise, surprise: the North wanted the Federal government to assume all states' debts. This would mean that all states would have to contribute to paying off the increased Federal debt. which meant that the South, after paying their own debts, would have to pay again to help pay off the outstanding Northern debts. Southerners unsurprisingly objected to this. At the same time, the South felt that the Federal capital should be in the South, while the North felt it should be... well, in the North. They reached a compromise, whereby the North would agree to a Federal capital in the South, if the South would agree to Federal assumption of all states' debts.

So no Compromise of 1790 means that the capital remains a contended issues, which probably means it ends up further North than in OTL. NYC is a likely option. Meanwhile, the Northern states have to sort out their own debt issues, and the precedent of all states having their own debts and also paying off their own debts is set. Ultimately, that may be far more favourable to Southern interests than having the capital...
 
Its really to bad it didn't stay there, I suppose the biggest consequences they but I suppose they would have moved it later, once New York city became, you know New York City. Sorta like Brazil did.
 

oberdada

Gone Fishin'
Its really to bad it didn't stay there, I suppose the biggest consequences they but I suppose they would have moved it later, once New York city became, you know New York City. Sorta like Brazil did.

To some remote place? DC in Kansas? The Oklahoma Panhandle? Sout Dakota?
 
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